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Kalib Davis vs. South Dakota Mines
Kaitlyn Silva
Kalib Davis (9) making his first interception of the season against the Hardrockers on Ray Dennison Memorial Field (Sep. 28, 2024)

Skyhawks to meet No. 13/12 Mountaineers under Saturday night lights in Gunnison

10/4/2024 1:00:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement
Fort Lewis at No. 13/12 Western Colorado
Saturday, Oct. 5, 6 p.m. | Mojo Field in the Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex | Gunnison, Colo.
Watch | Live Stats | Tickets | FLC Game Notes
 
DURANGO, Colo. – The Fort Lewis College football team (1-3, 0-2 RMAC) is set to take on undefeated and No. 13-ranked Western Colorado (4-0, 2-0 RMAC) in a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest on Saturday night at 6 p.m. under the lights of the newly renovated Mojo Field in the Mountaineer Bowl at The Rady Family Sports Complex.
 
Building Off a Strong Week
Last Saturday, the Skyhawks fell 49-33 to South Dakota Mines (3-2, 2-1 RMAC), but found offensive success unseen in recent years. Despite putting up 444 yards of total offense, the most since Nov. 13, 2021, Fort Lewis allowed the Hardrockers to rack up 484 yards of offense, including 315 in the first half. Stone Walker and Zachary Gaumont connected on a pair of receiving touchdowns, while Jamal Johnson and Orlando Guevara rushed for a pair of scores as well. Additionally, Hunter Villavicencio added a pair of 33-yard and 51-yard field goals to cap off the Skyhawks 33-point performance, the most points scored since Sep. 21, 2019.
 
The Walker Effect
Walker, a six-foot-three one-hundred-and-seventy-five quarterback out of Houston, Texas, and Northland Christian School has elevated the Skyhawks offense to new heights this season. Before Walker, Fort Lewis averaged under 70 yards a game rushing over the past three seasons, but since taking over as the starter under center, FLC is averaging 158.0 yards per game on the ground with 81.25 per coming from Walker, not including yardage lost on sacks. In four games, Walker is 50-for-104 (48.1 percent) through the air for 507 yards, two interceptions, and three touchdowns. On the ground, Walker has 252 net yards and three touchdowns on 53 carries.
 
Stauffer at the Line
Durango native and six-foot-six junior Walter Stauffer made quite the impact last weekend against South Dakota Mines as the defensive end posted a team-high eight tackles including six solo, two assisted, and four tackles for 11 yards lost including two sacks for seven yards. Through four games, Stauffer is tied for the third-most tackles for loss in the RMAC with six total for a loss of 19 yards. In addition, Stauffer is sixth in the conference with two and a half sacks for 10 yards.
 
Playoff Contenders
Since 2021, Western Colorado has posted a 31-8 overall record under 14th-year head coach Jas Bains. The nationally ranked Mountaineers made an appearance in the 2023 NCAA Division II Football Playoffs before falling at home,16-13, to Central Washington (9-4) in overtime. This season, Western Colorado is keeping up with its status quo owning an unbeaten 4-0 record while averaging 38.8 points per game on 433.0 yards of total offense and limiting opponents to 15.5 points on 285.5 yards of offense. Notably, WCU is coming off its biggest victory of the season after downing New Mexico Highlands (0-4, 0-2 RMAC) 53-12 in Las Vegas, N.M.
 
Nash-ville in Gunnison
Redshirt junior quarterback Drew Nash has torched opponents at the helm of the Mountaineers high-powered offense. In four outings, Nash has thrown for 603 yards, two interceptions, and four touchdowns on 49-of-84 (58.3 percent) passing. On the ground, Nash has added another four touchdowns and 227 yards on 30 carries while taking only two sacks. Four different receivers have scored touchdowns, including two each from Elias Zarate and Caden Measner, while Braeden Hogan and Royce Pao have each rushed for four touchdowns as well.
 
Pink Game
Next week, the Skyhawks will host the nationally ranked ThunderWolves from CSU Pueblo (4-1, 3-0 RMAC) for its annual Pink Game, presented by CommonSpirit, Alpine Bank, and the Wells Group and Durango Team, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12.
 
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